Here are a couple of videos from the regular festival. It was really cool.
Here are the musicians from earlier in the day
Here are the shrine bearers as they stopped for a break.
Here are some random shots as I wandered around:
Fried pasta appetizer at the izakaya I went to for dinner:
Wall Art
When it got darker, they lit up the shrines, and after carrying it around for two an a half hours, you would think the shrine bearers would be more subdued, but they were louder and seemed to have even more resolve. Maybe all of the beer helped give them strength.
Then they moved out into the main roads:
When they reached the final destination, they wouldn’t stop, they kept backing up and then moving forward almost to the end and then backing up again. This went on for quite. awhile, even with this guy standing on the poles.
Overall, it was an interesting night. I really enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere, having small conversations in Japanese with a couple of strangers on the street. One couple offered me some Dun-go – soy glazed mocha on a stick – it was delicious! After the shrines came back to their original spots, groups of people were eating refreshments, setting up impromptu picnics all over, and having a great time. It seems like a tight knit community, even though it is in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the world.
Last bunch of random shots:
Everyone eating Dun-go – rice paste balls on as tick with sweet soy glaze.
The end…
